This Land, Your Land

A prescribed burn at Hanging Rock State Park in the next couple of months will protect the endangered Schweinitz's sunflower, the Division of Parks and Recreation said this morning.

The burn in 2.5 acres containing the Schweinitz's sunflower is scheduled for this winter or early spring, as weather permits.

The Schweinitz's sunflower is endemic to the Piedmont of North and South Carolina, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It is a perennial herb that grows from 1 to 2 meters tall from a cluster of tuberous roots (see below).

Regular fire cycles are necessary for the flower to survive, the state parks news release says, and the burn is to remove competing Virginia pines and other shrubby vegetation shading the sunflowers.

Schweinitz's sunflower (Helianthus schweinitzii)

North Carolina's state parks had a banner year in 2011, recording 14.25 million visits, which matches the all-time record set in 2009 and slightly exceeds the 14.19 million park visits in 2010, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation said in a news release today.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Dare County had the highest attendance last year at 1.32 million visits, which was actually a bit fewer than 2010's 1.47 million.

Among 39 state parks and state recreation areas, 15 reported increases in attendance in 2011.

Parks with significant increases in visitation include Dismal Swamp State Park in Camden County (34 percent), Elk Knob State Park in Watauga County (50 percent), Jones Lake State Park in Bladen County (26 percent), Kerr Lake State Recreation Area in Vance County (24 percent) and Medoc Mountain State Park in Halifax County (31 percent).

Several parks with new or improved amenities opening last year saw big jumps in attendance. A new 700-foot swim beach and picnic area at Lake James State Park opened for its first full season, and the park saw a 70 percent jump in visitation. A renovated marina opened at Carolina Beach State Park, a new equestrian trail network opened at Medoc Mountain and a number of hiking trails, including a volunteer-built summit trail, opened at Elk Knob.

Full attendance figures are available here.

Jones Lake State Park in Bladen County, below, was one of several state parks to see attendance increases in 2011. Click on the photo for more information about Jones Lake.

Bridle trails at Morrow Mountain State Park are to be closed for "several months" this year for rehabilitation and rerouting, the state parks system said today.

About two miles of trail in three segments among the 16-mile equestrian trail network will be re-routed because they are unstable and cannot be properly maintained, a news release says. The trail system will grow by nearly a mile in the process.

Also, two trailheads will be consolidated into a single access point for all equestrians.

Work could begin by mid-February and, once it is complete, the trails will remain closed for several weeks for the trails to compact and harden.

The release further explains that, once they're renovated, bridle trails at Morrow Mountain will begin to operate under an inclement weather policy that closes them during ran and snow and keeps them closed afterward until they can be checked for damage.

The inclement weather policy is already followed at several other state parks, the release says. Notice of opening and closings will be posted to the park's page on the state parks website, as well as to the site's "alerts" page (see here).

Update: The burn is to be conducted on 600 acres near the park’s northern boundary and adjoining Alcoa property, a news release posted Thursday says. Once a day is selected, the burn will begin in the late morning and will end by late afternoon.

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State Parks officials announced a prescribed burn at Morrow Mountain State Park that will close several sites and trails in the park's Fall Mountain area sometime between January 4 and 13.

On the day of the burn, the park will close the the boathouse and boat ramp areas, the group campground, the lower picnic area with Shelters B and C, the Kron House reconstruction site, and the Long Loop of the Bridle Trail, the Fall Mountain Trail, Three Rivers Trail and Quarry Trail.

The weather will determine the precise date of the burn, and closures won't be confirmed until the day they commence. Notice of the burn was on the park system's alert page as well as the Morrow Mountain page.

The alert advises checking the website or phoning the park at 704-982-4402 during the indicated week before going to the park.

The alert does not indicate the size of the burn nor how long the affected areas will remain closed.

North Carolina's State Parks are initiating a new tradition for New Year’s Day by offering ranger- and volunteer-led First Day Hikes at 28 state parks across the state.

First Day Hikes is a national effort by America’s State Parks and the National Association of State Park Directors to "promote a healthy lifestyle as well as appreciation of natural resources," a news release from the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources says. All of North Carolina's state parks and state recreation areas will be open on New Year's Day. Find First Day Hikes by searching "Fun and Free Programs at Parks" under the Education tab on the state parks website.

First Day Hikes originated more than 20 years ago at the Blue Hills Reservation, a state park in Milton, Massachusetts, according to America’s State Parks, and this will be the first time all 50 state park systems have joined to sponsor First Day Hikes.

The state's purchase of land around Rumbling Bald Mountain will expand Chimney Rock State Park by more than 20 percent, the Asheville Citizen-Times reports.

The N.C. Council of State agreed Tuesday to pay the Nature Conservancy $4.2 million for 1,222 acres at Rumbling Bald, which is just north of Chimney Rock in the Hickory Nut Gorge.

The tract includes Rumbling Bald Mountain, with its a massive rock face visible from Lake Lure, steep cliffs, granite domes and a mature hickory forest, Nature Conservancy in North Carolina spokesman Debbie Crane told the newspaper.

The state established Chimney Rock State Park in 2007 after buying the Rutherford County tourist attraction from private owners in 2005, and has continued to add adjacent land to it. The park now comprises more than 5,700 acres.

The master plan for Chimney Rock State Park calls for development of three day use areas in phases over the next 20 years. The Rumbling Bald area, which is popular with rock climbers, is to be developed in phase three.

If you're looking for something a little bit different this weekend or next, there's the rock climbing Santa at Chimney Rock State Park. St. Nick will be scaling western North Carolina's biggest chimney at 10 and 11 a.m. and again at 2 p.m. on December 3 and 10. There will also be live holiday music, hot cocoa and cookies, live animals and children's activities.

The holiday event is presented as part of normal admission to the park, a public/private partnership as the state takes control of 4,500 acres in Hickory Nut Gorge.

State parks officials have announced plans for a prescribed burn in the Linwood Access area of Crowders Mountain State Park sometime between December 5 and 15.

The project will require that some areas of the Gaston County park be closed to the public during the event, a news release says.

The precise date of the fire will depend on weather conditions, but it will begin in the late morning and end by late afternoon. Follow-up operations could last for several days, and all areas on or around the Crowders Mountain summit will be closed to the public, including the Linwood Access parking area and trailhead, Tower Trail, Crowders Trail (Linwood section only), Backside Trail and Rock Top Trail, until the park staff determines the area is safe for visitors.

In addition to helping plants and animals that rely on periodic fire for their existence, prescribed burns reduce the amount of potential wildfire fuel.

Monitor the state parks alerts page, at http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/alerts/main.php, for notice of when the burn will be conducted.

An update from The Fayetteville Observer says Carver's Creek State Park in northern Cumberland County could open its Long Valley Farm area next May.

The 1,420-acre former estate of James Stillman Rockefeller is being restored to depict life on an early-20th century scientific farm, and renovations of the farm house and other historic buildings, which include a pavilion, a water mill and an electrical generating station, have taken longer than expected, state parks Spokesman Charlie Peek told the newspaper.

The farm area, off of McCloskey Road, will also include two miles of hiking trails, a lake for fishing and canoeing, and maybe canoe and kayak rentals, Peek said.

Carvers Creek was authorized by the General Assembly in 2005. The state is completing its master plan for what is to eventually be a 4,000-acre urban park comparable to Umstead State Park in Raleigh.

The park straddles U.S. 210 and U.S. 401 north of Fayetteville, and extends from the border of Fort Bragg on the west to a section on the Cape Fear River to the east. The two segments of the park are to be linked by a trail for pedestrians and bicycles.

The river area is to eventually offer multi-use trails, multiple campgrounds, fishing, boating, bicycling, horseback riding, picnicking, wildlife observation, and a visitors center and community building.

Trails leading to the highest peaks of Chimney Rock State Park will close December 5 until next spring for upgrades, the Asheville Citizen-Times says.

The Outcroppings Trail, which leads from the parking lot to the top of the iconic Chimney Rock; and the Skyline Trail, which leads from the Chimney level to the Opera Box, Devil’s Head and Exclamation Point will close so stairs can be replaced.

The elevator to the top of the chimney and the Sky Lounge deli at the top of the elevator have been closed and renovated since last April and will remain closed until spring.

The rest of the park remains open.

State Parks spokesman Charlie Peek told the newspaper that the work has cut into visitation at the park resulting in a fall from 215,000 visitors in 2010 to 158,600 in 2011 through the first three weeks of November.

The work is part of a $4 million capital improvement project in the park that began last winter.